Herbert West is back—this time behind bars, imprisoned for one of his failed experiments. But with the help of a newly graduated doctor working at the prison, he finds a way to continue his obsession with bringing the dead back to life. And this time, he may be closer than ever.
The mad scientist returns for the third chapter in the Re-Animator saga, and while more chaos was expected, few could have predicted how well it would turn out.
Like the previous instalment, Bride of Re-Animator (1990), this film isn’t directed by cult favourite Stuart Gordon, but by his longtime collaborator Brian Yuzna. While Yuzna is a brilliant producer, his directing career has often lived in Gordon’s shadow. That said, he handles this entry surprisingly well—so well, in fact, that Beyond Re-Animator arguably surpasses Bride by a small margin.
It’s impressive what the film manages to pull off on a modest budget of just over a million NOK. The effects are stylish and delightfully gory—exactly what you’d expect when Screaming Mad George is let loose. Still, he doesn’t deserve all the credit; several studios contributed with equally strong work.
As always, Jeffrey Combs is phenomenal as Herbert West. He dominates every scene, perfectly embodying the cold, determined scientist who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Compared to the original Re-Animator, this film leans much more into humour and exaggerated storytelling—but that works just fine, as long as the comedy lands—and in this case, it does.
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